On modern aircraft, flight management systems (FMS) are specialized computer systems that automate a variety of flight related tasks. For example, flight management systems are used to guide the aircraft along a flight plan. A typical flight management system includes a navigational database that includes the information needed for the flight plan. Such a navigational database can include information on airports, runways, waypoints, airways, holding patterns, etc.
Commercial aircraft commonly use navigation databases designed to meet requirements defined by an Aeronautical Information Regulation and Control (AIRAC) standard, as developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The AIRAC standard specifies that navigational databases are to be updated at the end of a 28 day period known as an “AIRAC cycle”. Specifically, during each 28 day cycle the various countries provide updates to their aeronautical information, and the navigational database suppliers are to provide corresponding updates to their databases that include any new aeronautical information, with the updated navigational databases delivered to aircraft at the end of the cycle for use by the flight management systems during the next 28 day cycle.
One issue with the AIRAC standard and the use of the 28 day cycle is it that does not readily facilitate updates to the navigational database for temporary changes outside of the 28 day update cycle. For this reason it is very common for the navigational database to be out of date with respect to temporary changes.
As one example, countries can publish updates to their aeronautical information in the form “Notices to Airmen”, usually referred to as “NOTAMs”. These NOTAMs are typically issued to alert pilots of any temporary changes or hazards. For example, in the United States, NOTAMs are available at the Federal Aviation Administration's National Airspace System Aeronautical Information Management Enterprise System (NAIMES) PilotWeb NOTAM System located on the internet the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website. These NOTAMs can be published at any time during the 28 day AIRAC cycle. Traditionally, pilots have received these NOTAMs in paper or electronic form, and the pilots have been required to manually determine what information included in the NOTAM may be relevant to their specific flight plan.
There thus remains a continuing need for improvements in aircraft navigation, specifically, a need to provide improved integration between navigational databases and temporary changes such as those indicated by NOTAMs.